An Empty Bliss
by TheAssassinRenevaron
Summary: Natalie Caelum has dreamed of SOLDIER all her life. She wanted to prove that she had what it takes, that she was strong. So Nat leaves her small hometown of Gongaga to pursue her dream, with her best friend Zack Fair in tow. But will ShinRa let her in?
1. Chapter 1

Natalie Caelum raced down the stairs, hearing the continuous pounding on the door. She slowly opened it and smiled when she saw it was her best friend Zack.

"Hey Zack. " She smiled, opening the door and motioning for him to come in.

" Hey Nat! " Zack plopped down on the couch with a sigh. Nat sat down next to him.

Nat was fourteen and Zack fifteen. They had been best friends all their lives. Having been friends for so long, they both had an uncanny ability to know if the other was troubled emotionally by something, just by the way they acted, spoke or looked. Zack knew Nat sometimes more than she knew her self.

He noticed something was wrong now.

Zack turned to her.

"You said you wanted to talk to me about something, so I came as quick as I could. What did you need to talk to me about? "

Nat sighed, this had been bothering her for the past week and she needed to tell Zack.

" You wanna go for a walk out to the river? "She asked. Zack nodded, understanding that she didn't want to talk about it with her parents around.

"Susan! Zack and I are going for a walk! I'll be home before supper!" She called to her step mom. She slammed the door behind her before Susan could reply.

Zack didn't seem surprised at this, he knew that she hated her stepmother.

On their way to a secret place they found when they were younger, they talked about random things particularly involving ShinRa's SOLDIER unit. Like most kids their age, that was there dream, to join SOLDIER and rise up to be like the great hero Sephiroth.

When the reached the river that ran past their small hometown of Gongaga, they stopped. Zack backed up and, at a full run, took a flying leap and managed to get to the other side.

"Come on Nat. It's easy. "Zack cried from the other side.

Nat backed up too, but hesitated.

It had rained really hard last night and the river, which was normally really calm and slow, was flowing rapidly.

If she fell in the river when it was going this fast … She shook her head, no; Zack wouldn't let her fall in.

At a running start, she jumped over the river …

… And missed the bank by mere inches.

"Nat! " Zack cried catching her arm before the rapids took her downstream. She was waist deep in water but luckily Zack had a strong grip on her arm.

Her eyes widened when she saw that Zack's boot was slipping in the mud, he would fall in too.

"Nat. Hold on. I'll get you up. "He grunted and heaved her up on the bank. Though unfortunately in the process he fell in, Nat safely on the bank. Nat caught his hand.

With one final burst of strength she pulled him up onto the bank, both of them collapsing in the mud. They both lay panting there for a few minutes before looking at each other and laughing, partly out of fear, realizing how close they were to being swept downstream, and because they always managed to get each other out of complicated situations like this.

Zack, who had been staring up at the sky, turned his head to look at her, a small smile tugging at his lips.

"You know, I'm really glad you're here, because without you I'd probably be dead right now. " He grinned. Nat grinned back at him.

"Me too. I'm glad we're best friends Zack. I don't know what I'd do without you. "

Zack chuckled slightly, somehow amused by Nat's words.

" You've gotten stronger. I guess that training we've both been doing is starting to pay off. "

Nat grunted.

" Finally. I thought the only thing I was going to get out of it was bruises and being sore twenty-four seven. "

They both laughed.

With a sigh, Zack rolled back and jumped up. He held his hand out to help Nat up.

"I love how you do that. "

" Do what? "

"Roll onto your back and jump up onto your feet. " She grinned. Zack smiled.

The two of them continued on through the dark woods, they knew the way by heart and soon found themselves at their secret area, a large cliff that looked out over the town with a massive oak tree, surrounded by irises of all different colors.

Zack and Nat climbed the tree and sat on their usual branch, the third branch from the top.

Zack leaned against the trunk of the tree, his right leg dangling over the edge and the colors of the sunset reflecting on to his young face.

Nat looked at him, his head leaning against the tree and his eyes closed in peaceful bliss, and she realized - how funny he looked with wet hair.

Zack heard her snicker and opened one eye with a smirk on his face.

"What's so funny? " He asked.

"You're hair looks really funny when it's wet, Zack. " She laughed.

Zack chuckled and looked out, staring out at the horizon. Nat followed his gaze, her eyes following a flock of geese hurrying to fly south for the upcoming winter; she tilted her head back with a smile and watched the geese fly above the tree.

Zack laughed.

"Don't do that, you'll fall! " He exclaimed. Nat laughed with him and sat back up, staring out at the horizon.

She didn't think anything could have made her happier than being with Zack in their favorite spot and watching the sunset.

She sighed, she had to tell him now, he looked calm on the outside but she knew he was dying for answers on the inside.

"Zack…?"

"Yeah, Nat? "

"I've decided that I'm going to join SOLDIER and I'm leaving for Midgar as soon as possible. "

She was surprised to see that Zack didn't look at all shocked or demand for her to stay.

"I knew that you would eventually make up your mind about whether or not you wanted to leave Gongaga. I could tell something was troubling you and I figured that was the reason for it. "Zack told her, sitting up.

Nat smiled. Zack could be so mature when he wanted to, he always knew what would make her feel better and she loved those moments when he always led her along and helped her.

"When we were younger, do you remember that promise I made you? " Zack asked, once again leaning back on the tree and closing his eyes.

"Yeah. " Nat nodded.

"I told you then that I would never leave your side. And I'm sticking to that promise. I'm going to Midgar with you. "

Nat's eyes widened in shock, she knew Zack's dream was to be a hero and make it into SOLDIER, but she never imagined him leaving home.

" You're serious Zack? You'll come to Midgar with me? "

"I'm completely serious. I'll never abandon you and besides, "He flashed her, his usual sharp-toothed grin. "I have to be there to keep you from doing anything rash. "

They both laughed.

"Thanks Zack. I really appreciate it. I didn't want to go to Midgar alone but I knew that if I wanted to obtain my dreams, then I have to start trying, you know? "

Zack nodded.

" …. Have you told your parents yet? "

Nat shook her head.

" No. Not yet. …. I don't know how they'll react. "

Zack sat up and moved over to sit next to her, he put his arm around her shoulders.

" Don't worry. I'll be there with you. "

Nat smiled and threw her arms around him, giving him a large hug.

" You're the best Zack! "She cried. Zack laughed, his cheeks going red.

The two of them sat like that for a while, Zack with his arm protectively around her.

Zack sighed.

"We should probably get back. Our parents won't be too happy if we get back after supper. "

"Oh! That's right; I told Susan we'd be back before supper. "Nat exclaimed in surprise, she was so focused on telling Zack that she was going to Midgar that she had forgotten all about it.

Zack laughed and slowly climbed down the tree. Once he was safely on the ground, Nat descended down the tree too. She had a close call; her hands slipping, but she managed to catch herself and regain her footing again.

When she was about two feet off the ground she jumped the remainder of the tree and landed on the ground, throwing up a small cloud of dust.

Zack frowned and took her hands, which were bleeding.

"What did you do? " He asked.

"When I slipped, the bark scratched up my hands. It's no big deal though. "She shrugged it off.

" You are so stubborn sometimes. "Zack grinned.

" And that's why ya' love me. "She said with a sheepish grin, putting her arm around Zack's shoulders.

Zack laughed.

"Hey, wanna have a race back to the river? " Nat asked with a confident grin.

"You're on! " Zack laughed and the two of them took off through the woods, flying past all the trees and pushing past all the briars.

Zack was so far in the lead, but tripped over a root and, after making sure he was okay, Nat ran past him and got to the river first.

Zack ran up behind her a few seconds later, panting with a large smirk on his face.

"I would've beaten you. "

Nat snorted.

"Huh. If that root would've appeared out of nowhere, you would have. "She grinned at him. Zack had an evil gleam in his eye.

"Oh uh. " Nat muttered.

Zack tackled her to the ground and the two wrestled, throwing up dust and scaring a pair of crows that were resting in a nearby tree.

They both lie panting and out of breath, though grinning from ear to ear.

"Come on, Zack. We should really get home now, before my mom freaks out on us. "Nat said jumping up. Zack jumped up too and gestured towards the river.

"You wanna go first? " He panted.

Nat shrugged.

"Sure. Why not? "

She took off at a run and soared over the river with ease, luckily landing on the bank with no trouble.

Zack clapped and jumped over too, landing perfectly.

They walked the dirt road towards Nat's house, talking about how they were going to explain to their parents their decision.

Nat took a deep breath once they reached her house.

"We'll tell them after dinner okay? " Zack told her.

Nat nodded.

"Alright…. "She said quietly.

" Dad! Susan! We're back! "She called as she opened the door, the house strangely dark.

Her step mom, Susan, startled them by flipping on the lights.

"Whoa! " Zack cried jumping back a little bit.

"Do you know how late you are? You said you'd be home by supper and it almost thirty minutes after! "Susan yelled.

Nat flinched and looked at Zack.

_Well, this isn't going to help explaining our decision to them._ Their eyes both said.

"And what did you do to your hands? Look at the two of you! You're filthy! "

Nat felt like crawling into a little hole and burying herself. Ugh, her step mom was so annoying! Didn't she know _anything _about kids? They _wanted_ to get dirty.

"Sorry Susan. We'll go wash up. "

"You better! And hurry, your father is at the table waiting for you two! "

Zack and Nat ran up the stairs, feeling ashamed.

When they got up to the bathroom to wash off their hands and faces, Nat would have lost it if it weren't for Zack.

"I swear she's so….ugh! She's another reason why I want to go to Midgar! "

"I definitely liked your real mom better. I still don't know why your dad would want someone like Susan instead of your mom. She rocked. Remember when she used to make us those individual Dumbapple pies? "

Nat smiled.

" Yeah. I haven't seen her since she and Dad got divorced, it's been four months and I've only gotten a few letters but she hasn't called or anything. "

" Maybe once your in SOLDIER you can visit her whenever you want and you won't have to deal with your Dad not letting you go. " Zack suggested, wiping the mud off his face with a washcloth.

"Yeah. You ready? "

Zack nodded.

" Yup. Let's go eat! Whoop! "Zack cried racing down the stairs. Nat laughed and ran after him, sliding into the seat beside him. Zack rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

"What's for supper? I'm starving! "He exclaimed. Nat laughed again.

Her Dad smiled over the paper he was reading.

"How was your day you two? "

" Hmmm…..well we fell into the river and in the mud. Watched the sunset, wrestled and ran back home. I'd say it was awesome. "Nat grinned at her Dad. She definitely liked her Dad more than Susan, at least _he_ cared.

Susan brought out dinner and they ate in silence after that.

Nat felt her stomach clenching into knots every time she thought about telling her father their decision.

Dinner was over way to fast for her and it was time to tell her father.

She took a deep breath and with a nod from Zack, she started.

"Dad. We need to tell you something. "She said to get her father's attention. It worked.

She closed her eyes, nervously, but found the strength to go on when Zack placed his hand on her shoulder.

"I'm leaving for Midgar to become SOLDIER. " She told him her tone of voice leaving no refusal.

Her father and Susan were shocked.

"What? You know they don't allow woman to become SOLDIER, let alone a fourteen-year-old girl that can't even do her chores without messing them up! "Susan cried, her comments igniting a spark of fury within Zack.

He stood up quickly, nearly pushing his chair to the floor and glared at Susan.

"I don't believe she was asking your opinion. " He said in a dangerously low tone. Nat's eyes widened, was this, her Zack? He had never lost his anger this bad before.

" If Nat wants to be in SOLDIER, than that's her choice, not yours. You aren't even her real mother, you don't have a decision in the matter…" Zack continued, ignoring the shocked stares he received from Nat, Susan and her father.

Susan lost her temper too and stood up, successfully knocking down her chair.

"I don't _believe_ I need a _boy_ telling me how to run my family! "

" Nat isn't your family! She's family by law, not blood! It's her father's decision on whether or not he accepts her leaving, not yours.

" Susan! Zack! Sit down! "Her father yelled. Susan sat but Zack hesitated a moment before he too sat down. Nat put a comforting hand on Zack's shoulder.

Her Father looked at them.

"Natalie, are you sure that this is what you want? "

" Yes. I'm sure. "

Her Father sighed and put his head in his hands.

" Sir, I'm going too, so I'll protect Nat to the best of my abilities – "

"Which isn't very impressive. "Susan muttered. Nat glared at her. Zack pretended to ignore her comment.

"And I'll do whatever I can to make sure that she's safe at all times. "

" Zack, thank you. But I'll have to discuss this with Diane. "He said, naming Nat's real mother.

" I'm going, with or without yours or Mom's approval. "Nat said, scowling. "We're leaving for Midgar as soon as possible, long enough for us to say our goodbyes. "

Her father sighed.

" Nat I don't ….. I guess I can't stop you from following your dreams. At least call your mother and tell her your decision. "

Nat's eyes brightened and she hugged Zack.

" Yes! We did it Zack! "She cried. Zack laughed. They both ran for the nearest cell phone to call.

Nat's mother was harder to convince than her father. She didn't want her daughter becoming a SOLDIER, facing all the dangers the SOLDIER unit were put through, along with the operations and other risks she could take. But with Zack's help, Nat convinced her that she would be safe and reminded her that, with training, she would be able to protect herself.

When her mother finally agreed, Zack ran up the stairs along side Nat to help her pack, a goofy grin on his face.

…

The next day found them sitting in the back of an old pick up truck on there way to Midgar.

"Can you believe it Nat? We're finally going to Midgar! "Zack cried looking like a kid in a candy shop.

" I know! It's so exciting that we'll finally get our chance to become SOLDIER! "

Neither one of them could stop smiling.

They didn't speak for a while, letting their smiles speak for themselves, both of them fidgeting, eager to get to their destination.

Zack was the first to break through the silence.

" Hey, Nat, what's your dream? You've mentioned that you had one, just never actually told me what it was. "

"It sounds foolish and all but….I want to be the first ever female SOLDIER. And to be a hero, like you want. There would be nothing cooler than to know that you helped, and probably saved, many lives... "

Zack smiled.

" That doesn't sound foolish it sounds like a wonderful dream. "


	2. Chapter 2

The only sound from the night was the growl of the truck engine and the soft music playing inside.

There was no one but them around for miles, all of it was desert but at this time of night it was fairly cool outside, so the heat wasn't an issue.

The one headlight on the truck, surprisingly, put out enough light for the driver to see by, but not enough for him to miss the large pothole coming steadily closer.

THUNK!

Nat's head banged against the window, startling her from sleep.

She cursed potholes around the world.

She heard the driver call out softly to her.

" Sorry about that. "

Nat stifled a yawn.

" It's alright. " She mumbled, her voice slurred from sleep.

Now awake and knowing she wouldn't be going back to sleep any time soon, she looked over at Zack, who was still, somehow, asleep.

He was curled up in the bed of the truck, laying his head on his bag.

She smiled when she heard that he was snoring softly.

Yawning again, she decided to try and get back to sleep.

Grabbing her own bag, she pushed it over next to where Zack was sleeping and laid her head down on it.

She realized the angle that her neck was at and knew that in the morning she'd have a very back crick in her neck if she slept like this.

Sighing she tried adjust her head to where she wouldn't be in pain in the morning but to no avail. Finally, she gave up, and sighed.

She decided she didn't care if she had a crick in her neck in the morning.

She felt Zack put his arms around her waist and pull her to him.

" Um…. Zack? You awake? " She asked.

" Mmm…I'm freezing. " He mumbled.

Nat laughed and snuggled closer to him, liking the feeling of his arms around her.

Soon she had fallen back to sleep, her head lying on Zack's muscled arm.


	3. Chapter 3

First of all, I want to thank you all for reading and opticon217 along with my best friend, xXTasukisDestinyXx for reviewing :D It meant a lot, really! I love knowing people actually READ my stories :3 Anyway, I've rambled enough, here's an extra long chapter to make up for the second one since it was so short. By the way, the Infantryman they meet, Jason, he's from my other story Snow Drift. I was bored and decided it would be kinda cool to add him in.

* * *

Nat was woken up once more when the truck pulled to a stop and she heard the door open and slam shut.

The driver walked over to them and put the tailgate down.

" Come on kids, rise and shine. " He called.

Nat, not yet full awake, groaned and shut her eyes tighter.

Zack hugged her tighter.

" You two don't want to miss breakfast while you have the chance do you? I need to get gas and some supplies. "

At the sound of breakfast, Zack's eyes shot open and he sat up quickly.

" Breakfast? " He asked, his eyes wide.

The driver laughed.

" Yes, if the two of you get up! "

Zack excitedly shook Nat's arm.

" C'mon Nat! I'm starving! "

Nat groaned one more time before getting up the rest of the way.

She was fairly happy seeing that they were in a town, knowing they could eat real food and perhaps spend a night in a bed. The town wasn't big by any means but larger than Gongaga had been and, Nat realized with a gasp, a lot more people, watching as lots of people walked around carrying bags of groceries or holding their kid's hands.

She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and barely had enough time for a yawn before Zack was literally dragging her from the truck by her arm.

" Zack! " She gasped, having to run after him in order to keep from tripping and falling.

" Slow down! Its just food! " She yelped.

" Just food? Bah! I bet the food here is better than in Gongaga! And I'm so hungry I could eat you! " Zack exclaimed, opening the door to the gas station/diner.

" What? …I can say I've never heard that before. "

" First time for everything right? " Zack grinned, letting go of her arm and holding the door open for her.

Nat thanked him, and then walked in.

She gasped, nope. Not Gongaga at all.

Everything was so clean, so big and so perfect.

In Gongaga, the diner they had was extremely old and was hardly big enough for three small families to go in at a time.

A teenage girl, about Zack's age came up to them.

" Hello! " She cried cheerfully. " Welcome to North Corel's diner! Please allow me to escort you to your seats. "

Nat turned to Zack, wondering if he had the same thought as her: This girl is way to happy. But he was to busy staring at the girl to notice Nat looking at him.

Nat flushed red and smacked him on the arm.

Zack yelped in surprise, tearing his eyes away from the waitress to stare at her.

" What was that for? " He asked.

" You know what for. " Nat hissed, shoving him foreword so they could go take a seat at the table the waitress had picked for the two of them.

The two of them sat down at the booth.

" My name is Kali and I will be your waitress for today! " The waitress cried. Zack smiled happily.

" Here are your menus! " She placed the menus in front of them with a smile. Nat could have sworn that Kali had winked at Zack and scowled at the charming smile Zack had returned.

Nat picked up the menu and flipped through it, noticing that Zack was still staring at Kali as she walked back and forth to assist other costumers.

" Close your mouth Zack, you're drooling all over the table. " Nat commented, skimming through the menu.

Zack looked at her, closing his mouth.

" You're awfully edgy today. " He pointed out uselessly.

" I didn't get much sleep last night…" She sighed.

" I only actually fell into a good sleep when I came over and laid next to you. " She told him.

Zack smirked and was about to say some witty comment when the waiter came back.

" Would you like anything to drink? " She asked them.

Nat mumbled an angry: Coke. While Zack happily said he would like a large chocolate milkshake.

" You want a chocolate milkshake for breakfast? " Nat asked him after the waiter had left.

" Of course! It's not every day we can come to Corel you know. At every town we go to, I'm going to try a chocolate milkshake and see which ones better. " He grinned.

Nat rolled her eyes.

" Come on Nat! Lighten up! We're going to Midgar! We'll be SOLDIER! " He cried loudly, taking her hands, and earning lots of stares from other customers.

Nat blushed furiously, wishing Zack would calm down but he didn't seem to notice how embarrassed she was a the moment and the fact that lots of people were staring at them, as he kept going on and on about how awesome it was they were finally going to Midgar.

Nat agreed full heartedly with him but wished he could be just a little quieter.

" Zack…can you…lower your voice a bit please? " She asked quietly after a bit, tired of the stares.

Zack finally seemed to notice how loud he was actually being and his eyes widened.

" Sorry! " He cried loudly to everyone. Nat groaned and buried her face in her hands.

It wasn't long before Kali returned with Zack's milkshake and Nat's coke.

" Have you decided on what you want to eat? " She asked them, as she set their drinks down in front of them.

Zack's eyes widened in glee when he saw the size of his milkshake and immediately began sucking it down as soon as Kali put it down.

Nat told Kali her order and they waited for Zack to swallow his mouthful of shake before asking him what he wanted.

" Ah! Brain freeze! " Zack suddenly cried, clutching his head and gasping just as Kali asked him what he wanted to eat.

Nat couldn't help but laugh both at the expression on Zack's face and on Kali's.

Zack, noticing Nat laugh, soon joined in with her.

Kali looked at them like they were freaks and Nat got the feeling that Kali didn't like Zack anymore but she forced a smile on her face.

Calming down somewhat, Zack managed to tell her his order.

Kali, scowling once she left their table went over and told the chef their order.

Nat watched as she went over to another waitress and talked to her.

She couldn't hear perfectly what she said but it sounded a little to her like:

" I thought he was cute, but it turns out he's just another immature boy. Would you do me a favor and wait their table for me please, Mary? "

Nat couldn't help but snort in amusement.

No one tried to flirt with her Zack.

She grinned at Zack who grinned back, not knowing why they were grinning.

Sighing, Nat relaxed and leaned her head against the booth. She wanted nothing more than to be in Midgar already but they were still several days away from it. They had to get to Costa del Sol first, find a boat going to Midgar then drive the rest of the way there.

All in all it would take them a week at the most.

She felt the booth connected to hers move slightly then felt someone's head hit hers, jolting her from her thoughts.

Instinctively, she turned around to see the most gorgeous face she's ever seen.

Her eyes widened as she stared at the young man, he too was about the same age as Zack, with dark brown hair and the prettiest green eyes.

She had to fight back the squeak that threatened to rise and escape from her mouth.

The young man smiled, revealing perfectly white teeth.

" Sorry about that. " His voice was like honey and it made Nat shiver, his voice sounded so pretty!

" It-It's fine! " She managed to choke out, staring into those pretty eyes…

" Nat. " She heard Zack call her name but it felt miles away, she continued to stare into the young man's eyes, so many shades of green…

" Nat! " Zack yelled.

She heard him then, and whipped around.

" Hmm? " She asked, noticing the snarl on his face and the deadly glare he gave to the young man.

The young man quickly turned around, not wanting to get in a fight with Zack who was by far, much stronger.

Zack looked pleased with himself but noticed the look Nat was giving him and glared.

" Don't say it. " He growled, knowing what she was about to say about the waitress he had been drooling over earlier.

Nat smiled; satisfied he had gotten her point across.

But she fought the urge to turn around and stare at that guy some more.

She made the mistake of turning around to grin at him while Zack was watching her from the corner of his eye.

Zack turned from the window he had been staring out of to raise his eyebrow at her.

" Okay, okay. " She sighed and laid her head on the table, waiting hungrily for their food.

…..

Zack stared out the window, watching all the people walk by.

He was itching to go to Midgar but he knew that at least a week of nonstop travel awaiting them.

Luckily, before he left, his parents had giving him lots of money for the trip, money for the boat ride and the driver who brought them there along with money for food.

He looked over at Nat and saw her trying to, casually, look back at the dark brown haired boy behind them.

He caught her eye and raised an eyebrow.

She grinned sheepishly.

" Okay, okay. "

He smiled at her, chuckling in amusement.

She laid her head on the table and played with her straw, slowly rotating it in a circle around in her glass, moving all the ice around.

Still bored she took the straw out of her soda and twirled it in her fingers, forgetting that there were still droplets of soda in the straw.

She twirled the straw faster and one of the soda drops flew over and hit the window Zack was staring at.

He gasped, realizing how close that had been to his face and turned to glare at Nat who again smiled sheepishly and shrugged.

" Didn't your parents ever tell you not to play with your food? " He asked.

" Plenty of times…it never works though. " She grinned, sticking her straw back into her soda and taking a sip.

Finally, their food arrived and both young teenagers dived into their food hungrily.

Zack never thought sausage could taste any better than it did at that moment, drenched in the syrup that had run off his stack of three pancakes.

" Mmm…" He sighed happily.

Then he noticed how fast Nat was eating and his eyes widened, watching as she shoveled more and more scrambled eggs, sausage and pieces of pancake into her mouth.

" Damn! " He cried. " I thought you weren't hungry! "

" Who 'aid I wasn't hungwy? I jus' didn't wanna ge' up earlier. " Nat managed to say past her food.

It took Zack a couple minutes to understand what she had said.

By then she had swallowed her food and repeated what she said again.

" Oh! Okay…."

Nat smiled and laughed at him, feeling very happy now that she had food.

….

As the two of them suspected it took about a week to reach Midgar and when they did, Nat was to tired to jump and down with joy.

She hated boats.

She had been seasick through most of the journey by boat.

Zack had been laughing at her most of the time, but occasionally he was sweet and took care of her.

Now she had a death grip on his arm as they walked around Midgar, searching for the entrance to the ShinRa building.

They found the building itself extremely easily, how could you not see it? It was the biggest thing in the city.

Now finding how to get to ShinRa was harder.

Nat didn't like the stares she was getting from some of the guys down here and stuck to Zack as if he were her lifeline.

He put his arm around her.

" They won't dare try anything, not with me around. " He reassured her.

Nat nodded but still didn't feel very reassured, some of these people looked really strong….

Finally, after what seemed like hours of walking around, and it probably had been hours, Nat persuaded Zack to allow her to ask someone for directions after trying to countless times earlier. Every time she had asked he had replied with: ' not yet. Let's try to find it on our own first. '

Nat, still not able to pry herself from Zack's arm, walked over to a woman watching her son and daughter play tag.

" Um…. excuse me? Could you perhaps tell us how we can get to the ShinRa building? " Nat asked her.

The lady looked up and smiled slightly, looking amused.

" You have to be above the plate for that. " She smiled.

Nat gasped.

" Zack! You managed to get us below the plate! No wonder we can't find it! "

Zack yelped, not having been paying any attention, then turning around to face her.

" What? "

" We're below the plate! How'd you manage to get us down here when we got off above the plate? "

" Uh…" Zack scratched his head, clearly confused. " I guess I read the map wrong…"

" There was a map? " Nat asked, her eyes wide.

" Yeah…you were to busy worrying about that group of guys by the bar staring at you that you didn't even notice…"

Nat groaned.

" Zack I swear…" She shook her head and sighed.

She thanked the woman, who was trying not to laugh at their predicament, and the two of them tried to find their way above the plate.

" Hey, Zack! Look! " Nat cried suddenly, seeing a ShinRa Infantryman standing a couple yards away, one hand on his hip and the other holding a radio he was talking into.

" What? " Zack asked. " It's an Infantryman, so what? "

Nat groaned again.

" You can be so stupid at times! He can tell us how to get above plate and to ShinRa! "

" Oh! Okay! Let's go ask him then! " Zack cried, dragging Nat along behind him.

They waited until the young Infantryman had put his radio away before talking.

" Um…hi. Would you mind telling us how to get to the ShinRa building? " Zack asked him.

The Infantryman turned around, startled that anyone would be talking to him.

" Uh…yeah…. sure. " He nodded.

" My patrol is over anyway, I can show you the way there. "

" Wow, thanks man! " Zack cried, grinning at Nat.

" You guys new here? " The Infantryman asked.

She and Zack nodded.

" Yeah…just got here today. "

" Ah…that explains why you don't know where HQ is. " The Infantryman grinned.

Zack grinned back.

" Yah. "

" What are your names? I'm Jason. I'm fairly new here myself. I came from Mideel. "

" Really? That's cool! I'm Zack Fair and this is Natalie Cealum. "

" Nice to meet you both. " Jason smiled. " So Zack? Are you two boyfriend and girlfriend? "

Zack and Nat blushed.

" Err…no…just really good friends. " Zack spluttered out.

Jason laughed at their reactions.

" Of course. " He couldn't hide his smirk.


End file.
